Sinker head for knitting machines



Nov. 17, 1936. r J. K,COBERTI 2,061,299

SINKER HEAD FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR m K. [gig-gm 1 BY m I TTORNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2.061.299 smnnn HEAD roa mr'rnve mcnmas Joseph K. Oobert, Sherbrooke, Ontario, Canada Application February 2, 1935, Serial No. 4,624 In Canada March 19, 1934 1 Claim. (Cl. 66-110) This invention relates to sinker-heads for knit- 10 dated in slots or grooves known as tricks in the upper and lower parts of the head, and the sliding motion of the sinkers in these slots or "tricks causes the comparatively soft metal of the sinker head to wear under contact with the upper and 15 lower edges of the sinkers, with the result that after a time the sinkers become loose in their tricks, and it is then necessary to replace the complete head or to recut the slots or tricks,

and this reslottlng or retricking is a very troublesome and costly proceeding. In full-fashioned hosiery machines the greatest wear naturally takes place at that part of the machine where the sinkers are most frequently in active operation with the result that, in the case of a machine for the production of stocking legs, the sinkers that are in active operation during the knitting of the narrowest portion of the blank cause greater wear in their tricks than the adjacent sinkers that are actively employed only during the knitting of the wider or top partof the stocking blank. This unevenness in the wear of the tricks in the sinker head naturally results in a lack of uniformity in the operation of the sinkers, and is a cause of considerable trouble and expense in the upkeep and maintenance of such machines.

One object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the sinkers are guided in their tricks while the sinker edges are engaged by a wear bar carried in the sinker-head.

40 A further object of this invention is to provide a group of removable bars carried by the sinkerhead and engaging the upper and lower edges of the sinkers to prevent wearing contact of the sinker edges with the tricks .in the sinker-head.

45 A further object of my invention is to provide the upper and lower parts of the sinker-head with wear bars-.a single bar in one part and two bars in the other-so that the yarn sinking movement of the .sinkers is effectively guided by such bars.

50 Still another object of my invention is to provide the sinker-head-with wear bars of a metal much harder than the metal composing such head, and still another object is to provide the front of the lower portion of the sinker head 55 with a reinforcing strip of hard metal for engagement with the beards of the needlesduring the presser motion of the machine while closing the beards to cast off the knitted loops.

-With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and ar- 5 rangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that various changes in the constructional details may be made without departing from the spirit of the-invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front view of a portion of a sinker-head made in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-section of a sinker-head showing a sinker and a needle in engagement therewith; Figs. 4 and 5 are two detail sectional views, drawn to a still larger scale, and taken on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 respectively; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional detail view showing a modified form of the presser edge.

The sinker-head shown on the drawings isof the type employed in a full-fashioned hosiery knitting machine and is of the usual well-known construe .tion throughout, except that the upper part of the sinker-head is grooved longitudinally for the reception of a hard wear bar "I for engagement with the upper edge of the jack-sinkers l4 and dividers l8, while the rear edge of the lower part 30 3| of the sinker-head has secured thereto a hard metal wear bar 9 for engagement with the lower edges. of the sinkers and dividers, this lower part 3| being also grooved on its upper face for the reception of a hard metal wear bar H! which also engages the lower edges of the sinkers and dividers and, at its lower front extremity, the part 3| is provided with a hard metal strip or ribbon |1| (Fig. 3) which may be welded, brazed or otherwise secured thereto' so that the front edge 8 of 40 this strip N forms awearing surface for engagement with the beards I! of the needles I3.

The sinkers l4 and dividers l8, Fig. 3, engage slots or tricks IS in the lower face of the upper member 30 of the sinker-head and engage grooves or tricks l6 and I! located respectively at the rear and front of the upper surface of the lower part 3| of the sinker-head. The sinkers l4 and dividers l8 slide backwardly and forwardly in the slots or tricks l5, l6 and i1 and are thus guided in a'sidewise direction but the upper edges 20 of the sinkers and dividers are guided in a vertical direction by the hard bar I while the lower edges 2| of the sinkers and dividers are guided in a.

vertical direction by the hard bars 9 and Ill so that the pull of the yarn loops upon the sinker in a vertical plane due to the formation of the loops in the knitting operation do not result in frictional contact and wear in the depth of the slots or tricks IS, IS, II. The hard bar 1 is preferably secured in the cover or upper part 30 of the sinkerhead by means of screws 22 engaging tapped holes in the part 30 and with their heads counter-sunk in the said bar I, the hard bars 9 may be similarly secured on the rear edge or face of the sinkerhead by means of screws 23 and thehard bar l may be similarly secured in position by means of screws 24, these screws, 23, and 24 being located at the ends of, or at intervals in the length of, the bars which may thus be readily removed or replaced.

The sinker-head II and cover 80 are made as is usual in such machines of a soft metal alloy in which the slots or tricks may be readily cut and the wear bars 7, 9 and I0 are preferably made of a relatively hard material although if so desired a soft material may be employed because of the ease and convenience in replacing the bars after they become worn, due to contact with the edges of the sliding sinkers.

In the modification show at Fig. 6 the front extremity of the sinker-head 3| is formed with a slot for the reception of a strip 25 of hard steel. The slot and the strip 25 extend from end to end of the sinker-head so that the beards of all the needles may be engaged'by the edge of said strip which thus serves as a reinforcement for the presser edge of the sinker-head.

In-accordance with my invention sinker-heads of the usual construction may be adapted for use with my improved wear-resisting members for engaging the sinker edges; and these members may disclose the best mode in whichI have contemplated embodying my invention, I desire to be in no way limited to the details of such disclosure for in the further practical application of my invention' many changes in form and construction may be made, as circumstances require or experience suggests, without departing from the spirit of the invention within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A sinker head for knitting machines, comprising upper and lower bars of relatively soft metal with sinker receiving slots therein and disposed transversely thereof, said upper bar having a rectangular groove longitudinally thereof and intermediate its sides, a plate of hard metal in said groove and screws holding said plate in place with its exposed face flush with the base of said slots and said' lower bar having a raised lip portion along its front edge, a rectangular groove disposed longitudinally of said bar to the rear of and lower than said lip portion, a plate of hard metal in said groove, screws holding said plate in place with its exposed face flush with the base of saidslots, and a plate of hard metal longitudinally of and adjacent its rear edge with screws holding said plate in place with its upper surface flush with the base of said slots.

JOSEPH K. COBERT. 

